Dartmouth College student groups
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This page contains detailed information on a number of student groups at Dartmouth College. For more information on athletic teams, please see Dartmouth College athletic teams. For more information on college publications, please see Dartmouth College publications.
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[edit] A cappella singing groups
[edit] Dartmouth Aires
Originally formed as the Injunaires in 1946 as an offshoot of the college Glee Club, the Dartmouth Aires broke with the Glee Club in the late 1970s.
Although the Aires usually have about sixteen members, group numbers vary on a term-to-term basis. Auditions are held at the beginning of every fall term. Members of the Aires pick what songs to arrange based on the group's tastes. Because the Aires are such a diverse group of people, they end up singing a lot of different styles. Currently, much of the repertoire consists of popular songs from the 1980s and 90s, but it also includes many traditional Dartmouth songs, a few 1950s and 1960s tunes, selected hip hop tracks, and the occasional musical theater piece.
Most of the arrangements consist of a soloist, a dozen or so people singing background, and a vocal percussionist. The background of arrangements consists of a series of complex "instrument-like" syllables that, when sung together, resemble the background of the original song.
The Aires perform an average of once or twice a week at Dartmouth. They frequently take weekend road-trips, singing at other colleges, high schools, and Dartmouth alumni clubs. Every winter break, the Aires tour the Eastern Seaboard, while travelling further afield every spring. Recent spring tours have taken them to Paris, Italy, Colorado, a few of the Hawaiian Islands, and California.
Recent Aires accolades include winning the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) for Best All-Male Collegiate Album for both their 2003 and 2005 album releases, as well as selection for Varsity Vocals' Best Of Collegiate Acappella compilation CD in 2003 and 2005.
[edit] Dartmouth Cords
The Dartmouth Cords is an all-male singing group that was founded in 1996 and usually consists of around 15 members. The Cords are known for wearing corduroy to every performance; a hokey, yet cleverly endearing pun. Their eclectic repertoire has always included pop, rock, hip-hop, and traditional Dartmouth songs. Voice parts include tenors, baritones, basses and vocal percussionists. The group incorporates choreography, comedic skits and visual media to enhance their shows.
During Winter break, the Cords go on a annual Tour traveling to sing at colleges and alumni venues throughout the country. Past tours have taken them as far south as Florida and even to Indiana, in addition to most every hot-spot in the Northeast. Every Spring term, the group holds a Sing-Out, where Cords alumni from past years come back to Dartmouth to sing Cords’ songs old and new.
The Cords’ latest CD, Elements of Style 2002 has won awards from the national collegiate A Cappella organizations CASA and Varsity Vocals in such categories as "Best Arrangement." They have even had a song featured on the Best of Collegiate A Cappella compilation album. Their other recordings include Against the Grain 1999 and Accordingly 1997.
Auditions for the Cords are held at the beginning of every Fall term, during which time they hold a rigorous audition process for talented, diverse singers.
[edit] Dartmouth Decibelles
The Dartmouth Decibelles is the oldest all female a-cappella group at Dartmouth College. Affectionately referred to by Dartmouth students as 'the Decis', they were founded in 1976 and sing music from all genres. The group performs frequently on the Dartmouth campus as well as at alumni clubs, other undergraduate institutions, and many other venues around the country, particularly during their tours. Recordings include Conversing (1993), Belley (1996), Iridescence (1998), Vintage (2001), and Platinum (2004).
[edit] Dartmouth Dodecaphonics
The Dartmouth Dodecaphonics ("Dodecs") is an a cappella group created in 1984. They sing mainly contemporary pop music, with arrangements by such artists and groups as The Calling, Maroon 5, Guster, Evanescence, and Alanis Morissette. They also sing doo-wop favorites, '80s songs, traditionals, Dartmouth songs, and sometimes disco. The Dodecs was the first Dartmouth group to be recognized on Best Of Collegiate Acappella, a compilation a cappella CD, with their rendition of the Smashing Pumpkins' "Drown." As of March 2006, they are working on their 7th album.
The Dodecs go on a tour after every fall term. Recent destinations have included Hawaii, Orlando, San Francisco, Berkeley (CA), Boston, and New York City.
[edit] Dartmouth Final Cut
Final Cut is the second oldest all-male a capella performance group at Dartmouth.
During the 1993-94 school year, Final Cut emerged on the scene, taking its name from the shared experience of several founding members, who had unsuccessfully auditioned for another campus group. Final Cut was also inspired by an earlier group, Spontaneous Combustion, which had disappeared from campus when all of its members graduated in the class of 1993.
Final Cut has never been known for its size, usually performing with about 6 to 12 members. At every concert, Final Cut has been known to perform a comical skit along to blend with their repertoire which ranges from contemporary pop, hip-hop, rock, classic rock, and even rap.
Final Cut holds its auditions every fall along with the other male groups and typically, the group performs on campus in the fall, off campus in the winter, and a combination of the two in the spring.
All of the songs sung by the group is arranged by a member of the group. Although most of the songs consists of a soloist, Final Cut has been known to do group songs such as "Seven Bridges Road"[1].
In 2005, Final Cut released its newest release album, Cutting Edge, which is the newest album since its previous release in 2002.
Currently, Final Cut has 13 members, and its current repertoire includes 25 previously-arranged songs.
[edit] Dartmouth Rockapellas
The Dartmouth Rockapellas (often called "The Rocks") is one of three all-female a cappella groups on the campus. They were founded on February 7, 1989 with a musical and also a political purpose: to spread social awareness by performing "freedom songs."
The Rockapellas has typically consisted of around 16 members from diverse backgrounds. Their repertoire of over 100 songs includes hip-hop, country and pop. They have toured the United States, the Bahamas and Hawaii, competed in the International Championship of Collegiate Acappella ICCA tournament, and have been featured on Varsity Vocals' Best Of Collegiate Acappella CD.
The Rockapellas' recordings include BARE 2003, Velvet Rocks 1999, Think On These Things 1996, and Off the Track 1994 and, Definitions 1992.
[edit] Dartmouth Subtleties
The Dartmouth Subtleties is an all-female a cappella group on campus. Founded in the winter of 1998, are Dartmouth's youngest a cappella group. They are known as a musically talented group of independent women who emphasize musical innovation through arrangements and creative performances. Extensive choreography, new sounds, colorful costumes, and uproarious skits have all become part of the Subtleties' style.
Their repertoire includes pop, rap, rock, and other musical genres; all songs are arranged by members of the Subtleties. Membership varies from term to term but is usually between 11 and 16 members. Auditions are held at the beginning of every Fall term and as necessary.
The Dartmouth Subtleties are currently finishing their second album, the follow-up to their 2003 debut, Irony. The Subtleties tour the country every winter, performing everywhere from New York City to Colonial Williamsburg to Orlando, Florida.
[edit] X.ado
X.ado is a co-ed Christian a-capella group.
[edit] Other musical organizations
These organizations include the Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble, Dartmouth Brass Society, Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra, Dartmouth Chamber Singers, Dartmouth College Marching Band, Dartmouth Glee Club, Dartmouth Gospel Choir, Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra, Dartmouth Wind Symphony, Handel Society of Dartmouth College, and World Music Percussion Ensemble.
[edit] Dartmouth Brass Society
Founded in 2001, the Dartmouth Brass Society is a student-run organization with a membership of over twenty brass instrumentalists. It has several component groups, including brass quintets and trombone quartets. Certain groups receive professional coaching in conjunction with the Music Department's for-credit chamber music program.
The DBS has played original compositions by Dartmouth students and often collaborates with the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra. Its performances feature a variety of works, ranging from baroque to contemporary music.
[edit] Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra
Founded as an off-shoot of the Music Department's conducting class, the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra has become famous as the school's only student-run orchestra. A student conductor and president choose the music and set the venues for each concert, which consist of a wide variety of music.
The Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra holds three concerts per term - the in fall, the DCO usually takes on a more traditional repertoire (such as Haydn, Rossini, and Mozart), while in the Spring, the Chamber Orchestra prides itself on performing composition from Dartmouth student composers. In the winter, the group takes a more liberal approach, playing whatever the conductor chooses. Past selections have included Benjamin Britten's "Young Persons' Guide to the Orchestra," "Peter and the Wolf," and many other such pieces. This year, the winter concert will include the orchestral suite to John William's "Star Wars."
Though the group receives no official funding from the school, the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra maintains its presence on campus through help from various grants from the Music Department and the Committee on Student Organizations.
The current conductor is Jordan Edmonson '06, and the current President is Christopher Leach '06.
[edit] Dartmouth College Marching Band
The DCMB is the oldest marching band in the Ivy League; it was formed during the 1890s as "The Dartmouth Band". The DCMB's instrumentation is chiefly traditional, but also features a keg section (hit with a stick as a percussion instrument) and kazoos. During the fall, the band performs at all home football games, as well as a few away games. The DCMB also has a winter band that performs at hockey, basketball, and other events. The band continues to play traditional fight songs that have been played at Dartmouth football games for nearly a century.
[edit] Dartmouth Wind Symphony
Consisting mostly of non-music majors, the Dartmouth Wind Symphony (DWS) performs three official concerts a year, one each academic term (except for summer), at the college's performing arts center.
The DWS also plays joint concerts each winter term with another college or university's wind ensemble. Past exchanges have taken place with Yale, MIT, McGill, and the New England Conservatory. On these exchanges, the DWS plays one half of the concert while the visiting school plays the other. The DWS also visits the other school and plays half the concert there.
The DWS has hosted many special guests for its concerts, including the New York Philharmonic's Phil Smith, and the long-running star of Broadway's Phantom of the Opera, Ted Keegan. These guests usually play a few selections with the Wind Symphony as well as solo pieces on their own.
[edit] Drama and performance
[edit] Casual Thursday
Casual Thursady is an improv comedy troupe that performs at Dartmouth. Casual Thursday usually focuses on shortform games in their shows, although the group often performs a sketch show once or twice a year. Casual Thursday is a fairly new group, founded by members of the class of 2004 in 2001.
[edit] Dog Day Players
The Dog Day Players is Dartmouth's oldest improv group, dating to the mid-1990s. Dog Day's shows tends to be in longform style.
[edit] The Harlequins
The Harlequins is the only student-run musical production organization at Dartmouth College. It was founded in 1995 and produces musicals. Its first production was Godspell, a musical about the new testament written by Stephen Schwartz, performed in Dartmouth Hall in 1995. Other productions have included Guys and Dolls, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (2001) by Stephen Sondheim, Taxi-Cabaret (2002), Jesus Christ Superstar, Love, Sex and Everything in Between (a revue done in fall, 2002), A Chorus Line (2003), Little Shop of Horrors (2003) by Alan Menken, That's Entertainment(a revue done in fall, 2003), The Last Five Years (By Jason Robert Brown) (2004), Pippin (2004) (By Stephen Schwartz), You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (2004) and the first summer show A Summer Revue produced in 2004. The Summer Revue consisted of 18 musical numbers from musicals as diverse as Adam Guettel's Myths and Hymns, Cy Coleman's City of Angels, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, and Jason Robert Brown's Songs For a New World. As of 2004, the group consists of over 300 student singers, instrumentalists, production staff-members and officers, and hopes to put on additional shows at Dartmouth each term in the coming year.
[edit] Publications
Dartmouth features many magazines funded by its Council on Student Organizations (COSO) as well as at least two independently funded newspapers, The Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Review. For more information on College publications, please see Dartmouth College publications.
[edit] Miscellaneous organizations
[edit] Dartmouth Billiards Club
The Dartmouth College Billiards Club promotes play and the education of pocket billiards to the Dartmouth community. The organization regularly supervises campus wide practices, usually held twice per week. The group organizes 8-Ball and 9-Ball tournaments, usually held twice per quarter term. In addition to promoting pocket billiards, the group actively seeks to improve the facilities at 8 Ball Hall located at Dartmouth's Collis Center. The group was founded by Bibhuti Mainali in 2004.
[edit] Dartmouth Broadcasting
Dartmouth Broadcasting is a self-supported student organization at Dartmouth College that operates two radio stations, WFRD-FM 99-Rock and WDCR-AM The Voice of Dartmouth. WFRD is one of the few fully commercial college radio stations in the United States and its programming and operation are handled by a nine-member student directorate in consultation with an Alumni Overseers Committee that includes members from ClearChannel Communications, ESPN and PBS, as well as representatives of the College administration. WDCR is a standard college multi-format station that operates off revenues from ad sales on WFRD.
Dartmouth Broadcasting alumni include famed radio presenters Paul Gambaccini (BBC), Anthony Burton (BBC Radio 3) and John Gambling (WABC New York). Several alumni of the Dartmouth Broadcast News have enjoyed long careers in journalism, including Pulitzer Prize winner David Shipler who interviewed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his visit to Dartmouth.
[edit] Dartmouth Film Society
The Dartmouth Film Society is one of the country's oldest student-run film societies. Established in 1949 by Maurice Rapf, class of '35, and Blair Watson class of '21, the DFS is still thriving today as the hub of film culture at Dartmouth College and in the Upper Valley.
The Dartmouth Film Society has made reviews for more than 145 movies. Every term, the Dartmouth Film Society nominates a few movies to be shown.
Committed to fostering a greater appreciation and understanding of cinema, the DFS provides a program of 20 or so films to be shown each academic term. These films are all bound together by a common theme; past series have included "The Open Road," a program featuring road movies, and "Breakthroughs," featuring the breakthrough films of various directors, writers, and actors. The films are projected twice weekly onto the giant 16-by-28-foot screen in the college's arts center auditorium and are open to students, faculty, and the public. Aside from the films in the program series, the DFS also plays several specials every term; these can range from sneak previews of upcoming films to hard-to-find rarities like a collection of Academy Award nominated short films.
Members of the film society meet once a week to discuss the films exhibited the past week and, at the end of each term, debate series proposals. Anyone can submit a series, as long as it has a decent variety of older films, new films, documentaries, foreign films, and silents. The Directorate of the film society, about 25 students and community members, actually vote on the series.
The DFS also organizes annual tributes to worthy film artists. Such distinguished filmmakers as Andrei Tarkovsky, Meryl Streep, Buck Henry, Werner Herzog, Sean Penn, and Sidney Lumet have all received honors from the DFS.
[edit] Dartmouth Forensic Union
The Dartmouth Forensic Union (DFU) is the policy debate team of Dartmouth College. Considered one of the strongest debate teams in the country, the DFU has had at least one first round qualifer to the National Debate Tournament for 25 years running, and has won the NDT six times.
[edit] Dartmouth Gay-Straight Alliance
The Dartmouth Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) was founded in 1999 with the purpose of bridging the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and straight communities of Dartmouth College. The GSA works to increase understanding and acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals in society. The GSA holds weekly meetings and also coordinates (often in conjunction with the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance) both social and advocacy-related events, including issue-oriented discussions and Day of Silence observations.
[edit] Dartmouth Outing Club
The Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) is the oldest and largest collegiate outing club in the United States, founded in 1909 to stimulate interest in winter sports.
The DOC includes many subgroups, including:
- Bait and Bullet
- Boots and Saddles
- Cabin and Trail
- Cycling Club
- Environmental Studies Division
- Ledyard Canoe Club
- Dartmouth Mountaineering Club
- Dartmouth Ski Patrol
- Farm and Field
- Snowboarding Club
- Winter Sports Club
- Women in the Wilderness
[edit] Dartmouth Sexual Abuse Peer Advisors
The Sexual Abuse Peer Advisor (SAPA) program at Dartmouth College began in the 1980s as an effort to promote awareness about sexual abuse on the Dartmouth campus. SAPAs regularly post a short biography on Dartmouth's BlitzMail bulletins, and students are free to contact them at any time for questions, advice or other help. SAPAs go through an extensive 23 hours of training where they learn about issues of sexual assault, including medical, legal, social, psychological and other problems for sexual assault victims. SAPAs' most important role is to act as an "ear" for victims - someone who will listen to and empathize with a victim's story. SAPAs are trained to act as a connector for these victims. They can provide information and support, helping victims receive the proper medical care for their situation. SAPAs help victims contact counselors and other medical advisors, as well as provide information about legal aspects of the process, including reporting to the Hanover, New Hampshire police and to Safety and Security, Dartmouth's security force.
[edit] Dartmouth Union of Bogglers
The Dartmouth Union of Bogglers (DUB) is a college-recognized club that promotes and organizes games of Boggle for members of the Dartmouth community. DUB meets once a week, where members play Boggle and/or Big Boggle and partake in free snacks. DUB was founded in 2004 and continues to operate as of 2006.
[edit] Native Americans at Dartmouth
The Native Americans at Dartmouth (NAD) organization is a voluntary, student-run organization at Dartmouth College. NAD has represented over 150 tribes since it first began and there are currently approximately 50 active students within the organization. These students meet every Thursday of the term at the Native American House to determine their agenda of activities for the term. Activities may include faculty dinners, dance parties, community service, and academic workshops. NAD's main goals include working on joint concerns of their group and planning to improve the environment for NAD campus-wide. In the Winter of 2004 Native Americans at Dartmouth held and hosted the first annual All Ivy Native Conference. The Conference was a weekend-long event that included a career fair, academic workshops, and resume and job search workshops, as well as presenting many post-graduation options. Native Americans at Dartmouth also plan an annual Spring Dartmouth College Powwow on the weekend of Mother's Day. NAD also partakes in a group called the Inter-Community Council which is dedicated to uniting all the minority organizations on the campus of Dartmouth College in an effort to be a support for the organizations.
- Encyclopedia of North American Indians
- Native American Programs at Dartmouth
- The Dartmouth Pow-Wow
- Brothertown Indians of Wisconsin
[edit] Undergraduate societies
Dartmouth recognizes two non-Greek undergraduate societies: Panarchy and Amarna [2]. Both societies are co-ed, open, non-exclusive, and do not conduct "rush" activities [3]. Like the Greek organizations, Panarchy and Amarna function as social and residential communities; however, the undergraduate societies are separate from the college's Co-ed, Fraternity and Sorority (CFS) system and unlike affinity houses (like La Casa or Foley House) remain unaffiliated from any academic department. Both Panarchy and Amarna have a strong founding commitment to member equality regardless of gender or seniority.
[edit] Amarna
Amarna Undergraduate Society was founded as a newly-formed undergraduate society in early 1994. Amarna's formation was inspired by a vocal campus debate on the Greek system and Panarchy's recognition as an undergraduate society [4]. The College gave Amarna the house at 23 East Wheelock Street, where the society remains today. Named after a Middle Egyptian society led by King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, Amarna is known for its Monday Night Dinners with professors and its signature "Wine and Cheese" party.
[edit] Panarchy
Panarchy became the first college-recognized undergraduate society in September 1993 [5]. Panarchy is historically prefigured by Beta Psi, which was absorbed by Phi Kappa Psi (or "Phi Psi"), a national fraternity founded at Dartmouth in 1896 [6] [7]. Early in the 20th century, the fraternity bought the house at 9 School Street, which was built in 1835 and where the organization continues to reside today [8]. In response to what was perceived as racial prejudice on the part of Phi Kappa Psi's national leadership, Dartmouth's Phi Kappa Psi separated from the national and renamed itself as Phi Sigma Psi in 1967. After years of welcoming female exchange-student boarders, on the first day Dartmouth admitted women in 1972 Phi Psi became the first Dartmouth Greek house to go co-ed. In 1991, the organization changed its name to "Phi Psi/Panarchy". In 1993 the college recognized Panarchy as an undergraduate society independent from the Greek system. Panarchy is known for hosting musical performances, art shows and its popular "Great Gatsby" party. [9]
[edit] Senior societies
Student literary or fraternal societies of Dartmouth College date back to 1783. Starting in the late nineteenth century, students began creating societies for each of the four class years. Only the senior societies survive from those early class societies, and new ones have been added in recent years. Six of the eight senior societies keep their membership secret until Commencement, when members of all senior societies may be identified by their carved canes. In part, the availability of a house (as opposed to an infrequently-visited meeting hall) helps determine how secretive a society may be. About 25% of the senior class members are affiliated with a senior society today.
Each year, potential new members are chosen to be "tapped" either through personal selection by current members or through society-wide deliberations. Following tapping procedures -- which are partly coordinated by the college to ensure fair competition over "tappees" -- new members are inducted into societies through secret ceremonies that usually occur twice a year, in the winter and spring terms. The senior societies are Abaris, Casque and Gauntlet, Cobra, Dragon, Fire & Skoal, Gryphon, Phoenix and Sphinx.
[edit] Abaris
Abaris is Dartmouth College's newest Secret Senior Society, founded in 1996. Abaris is one of four co-ed Senior Societies at Dartmouth, three of which are secret. It takes its name from the legend of Abaris, who was given a Golden Arrow by the Greek legend Pythagoras. Abaris's symbols are the Arrow and the Snake.
[edit] Casque and Gauntlet
Casque and Gauntlet (also known as C&G) was founded in 1886 as the second-oldest senior society at Dartmouth and continues to operate as of 2006. In 1893 the group moved to its current location at 1 South Main Street, a house built by Dr. Samuel Alden in 1823, and the society installed a rear addition designed by alumnus and Paterson, New Jersey architect Fred Wesley Wentworth in 1915. Tapping continues in the traditional method and C&G membership is co-ed, exclusive and not secret. Notable members of past delegations include Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and Nelson Rockefeller.
[edit] Dragon
Dragon was founded in 1898 and continues to operate as of 2006. The society has occupied at least four locations in Hanover: rented rooms; a house at 21 North Main Street (by 1905); the Kappa Kappa Kappa Hall on College Street (vacated by Kappa Kappa Kappa ca. 1894 and occupied by Dragon beginning ca. 1905-1917, remodeled by Dragon 1917, no longer standing); a hall on Elm Street designed by Larson (1931-1996); and the current hall on College Street at the edge of College Park designed by Randall Mudge (1996). Dragon members tend to maintain secrecy even through Commencement, since they neither carry canes during Commencement nor reveal their membership in Dragon in the yearbook. Noted Dragon alumni include Jeffery Immelt, CEO of General Electric.
[edit] Fire & Skoal
Fire & Skoal was founded in 1975 as a 'non-secret' society, maintaining non-private membership roster. Members are still tapped in the traditional method, and membership is exclusive and co-ed. The society maintains a house near the Thompson Arena on the lower East side of campus. In 2005, the society decided to become a secret society. Former Senatorial candidate Jack Ryan of Illinois was a member.
[edit] Sphinx
Sphinx was founded in 1885 as the oldest senior society at Dartmouth and continues to operate as of 2005. In 1903 the group moved to its current location on East Wheelock Street, a mausoleum designed by Manchester, New Hampshire architect William Butterfield, and during the 1920s the society installed a rear addition designed by noted campus planner Jens Fredrick Larson.
[edit] Greek organizations
Dartmouth College is host to many Greek organizations and a significant percentage of the undergraduate student body is active in Greek life. In 2005, the school stated that 1,785 students were members of a fraternity, sorority, or coeducational Greek house, about 60 percent of the eligible student body.[1] Dartmouth College was among the first institutions of higher education to desegregate fraternity houses in the 1950s, and was involved in the movement to create coeducational Greek houses in the 1970s. In the early 2000s, campus-wide debate focused on whether the Greek system at Dartmouth would become "substantially coeducational", but most houses retain single-sex membership policies. Currently, Dartmouth College extends official recognition to sixteen all-male fraternities, eight all-female sororities, and three coeducational Greek houses.
[edit] References
- Cited references
- ^ Hughes, C.J. (2006) "Bye Bye SLI." Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Vol. 98, No. 4, Mar./Apr., 2006, p.18.
- General references
- Collis Center and Student Activities Office. Trustees of Dartmouth College. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
